There’s a vibrant energy at the Rebel Wolves studio in Warsaw. For the first time since Gamescom 2025, the development team showed off an extended hands-on demo of the vampire-laden open world RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, which is close to releasing on PS5 on September 3.
Within minutes of the extensive presentation, it was easy to see why they were so excited. The demo’s prologue doesn’t delay its promise of brutal 14th-century Europe. Our first introduction to the game’s protagonist, Coen, is him trying to protect his Black Death-infected sister, Lunka, from unjust execution, only to find themselves rescued by the powerful vampire lord, Brencis, and his deadly undead lieutenants.
After being forced to drink Brencis’ blood, Lunka experiences a surprising recovery… but this heralds a new reign of terror as Coen’s Carpathian Mountain village is forced to pay a ‘blood tax’ on a regular basis. Protection of vampires in exchange for their human blood. And the weak or disobedient are immediately made an example of. Through cataclysmic events in a village trying to free itself from Brencis’ rule – I won’t spoil it here – Coen is struck by a vampire curse and left for dead, his family taken.
The stakes are time pressure
Coen only has 30 days and three nights to save his brother. For you, that means every major action you take is fast-paced – some side missions, certain dialogue choices, and even learning certain abilities to fill out his skill tree have a noticeable time cost. For a game that features a huge world full of caves, mines, settlements, swamps and hidden paths to explore, as well as interesting people looking for help, the time limit may feel anxiety-inducing, but the development team tested the system carefully to make sure it doesn’t limit you.
“We don’t want to punish you for doing something,” said Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, CEO and game director. “So we aimed to hit that perfect point where you’re not stressed about time, but still feel like this big event is getting closer.”
“You’ll be able to finish most of the game before time runs out,” agrees Creative Director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz. “And it doesn’t necessarily end when it happens. There are consequences [for running out of time]but the game goes on.”
On the other hand, once you reach a certain point in the story, you can decide to head straight to Brencis if you wish, rather than engaging with much of the rest of the game, although obviously the challenge will be much steeper. “On the one hand, this makes a lot of the story in the game optional,” said Rafał Jankowski, lead mission designer. “So we were able to incorporate many different endings and solutions into the story, all of which still allow you to finish the game at some point.”
Every choice has consequences
Of course, consequences are a big part of The Blood of Dawnwalker. This isn’t a surprise considering several members of the now 160+ person team are former CD Projekt RED staff who worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the time mechanic adds an extra level of spice.
In the demo, Coen was given a number of missions to carry out, one of which was to retrieve a healing potion for his mother’s illness, and another was to help the villagers of Gremla. You can take on multiple objectives simultaneously, or abandon them in favor of other missions or actions. The results of your choices in this particular aspect become clear in Brencis’ latest black mass, where Gremla is cruelly hanged, and Esme’s mother is murdered.
Whether it’s a minor or major NPC that dies, the game continues, leaving you with the consequences. Something to keep in mind considering the Coens have a bloodlust meter. If you let him get too low, he will be overcome by an insatiable hunger, his black tendrils visible even when talking to NPCs, turning every dialogue choice a red ‘Surrender to hunger’ shade, which cannot be resisted.
“This wasn’t in the game from the start,” Mateusz said. “It came about organically, and fits the formula so well that it feels like it’s always been there. Being part of the narrative sandbox is a big challenge because it’s so open, but it’s worth it because you get a much more interesting game.”‘
Looking for morality with… pigs?
Satisfying Coen’s bloodlust is not limited to humans. From deer to bears to packs of wolves, Konrad says you can eat all the animals you come across, which may cause less trouble than killing an important NPC or one of the many allies you can befriend to help you on your quest. Even so, some allies will betray you, and don’t expect many of your choices to come without shades of gray. “Players have a lot of agency, but we want to explore complex people with complex personalities,” Mateusz said.
As a light thematic example, an early side mission offers you the chance to find a villager’s beloved pig, using the handy focus mode to spot its tracks and footprints on the ground. Returning the pig reveals the villager’s intention to slaughter it, giving you the option to join, resist, or even buy the pig to save the meat, as long as you have the coins.
Hone your skills through trees
The team also wanted to emphasize that Coen’s experience as a vampire at night is very different to his journey as a human during the day, with certain NPCs and missions only available at certain times, and clear differences in abilities. His skill tree consists of three main branches, each with passive and active upgrades: magic for the day, vampire powers for the night, and sword fighting which both overlap.
“Some abilities are even locked behind the blood of certain vampires,” explains Mateusz. “In our lore, when you become a vampire, you gain your own unique mutation or power. And you can have more than one. So, if you drain another vampire, then you steal theirs.”
But if you want to rely on the benefits of sharpened steel, a lot of testing and thought has been put into the game’s directional combat, resulting in an option that can be tailored to both die-hard action fans and more story-focused players. From the demo, it seems fluid and intuitive, with clear markers for incoming attacks to help with timing blocking and parrying, and red skulls marking unblockable attacks – as demonstrated by The Forgotten Guardian, a lumbering armored skeleton mini-boss that wanders through dank underground ruins.
The future looks bright
Even after a lengthy demo, it’s clear that Rebel Wolves still has a lot to hide. For example, when asked about the game’s weather system and how it interacts with the characters and environment, Konrad smiled, saying that he would prefer players figure it out for themselves. So does the number of multiple endings and the number of characters and monsters you can encounter, which draw on Slavic myths and legends, as well as medieval history.
That said, Konrad revealed that for some members of the team, the game took between 55 to 70 hours to complete, so expect an epic adventure that explores how much we are willing to sacrifice to save those we love. And the hunger to create a story that leaves a lasting impression on players doesn’t stop there. “Dawnwalker’s blood isn’t the end point, it’s an origin story,” Konrad smiled. “We’ve been planning the story for centuries. This is just the beginning.”
Expect more information to be revealed from Rebel Wolves as The Blood of Dawnwalker gets closer to its undead launch on PlayStation 5 on September 3.
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